Scallion Egg Fried Rice?
At first, Cicia was reluctant. Although she had never heard of this food, she extremely disliked eggs, because no matter how they were made, she felt there was a fishy smell. Of course, if it was made by a Gourmet Sorcerer, it might be different. But the Head Maid Mana looked just like an ordinary lady and couldn’t possibly have the skills of a Gourmet Sorcerer.
Most importantly, she saw a whole pot of oil in the kitchen used for making egg shreds, which made her even more averse.
Since childhood, she never liked oily food, always feeling there was a raw flavor in the oil. The combination of raw and fishy flavors, her two most disliked tastes, made her reject it physiologically and psychologically.
If not for the warm hospitality of Head Maid Mana, she would have probably turned around and left by now.
However, no matter how warm Head Maid Mana was, she didn’t want to eat any scallion egg fried rice. She was already contemplating how to politely and tactfully refuse Mana’s invitation without hurting her.
Maybe using "I’m full" as an excuse would be suitable?
However, before Cicia could find the right moment to refuse, Head Maid Mana had already brought a porcelain plate filled with golden rice grains and placed it in front of her with a smile.
The tempting aroma and the sight of thin egg shreds wrapping around the long grains of rice, combined with the green scallions, made Cicia, who was originally thinking about refusing, experience a familiar sensation for the second time today—mouth watering.
The last time was when she drank cream of mushroom soup.
"Go ahead and try it, I specially brought a spoon for you. Originally, it’s best to use chopsticks for eating scallion egg fried rice, but chopsticks are hard to learn. I barely managed to use them after a long time, so a spoon is still better." Head Maid Mana said with a smile, sitting across from Cicia.
What are chopsticks? This question flashed in Cicia’s mind, but she did not voice it, as her attention was entirely captured by the plate of egg fried rice.
Perhaps, try a taste? It smells quite good, who knows, the taste might actually be nice?
If it’s really not good, she could always stop after a small taste.
With this thought, under the expectant look of Head Maid Mana, Cicia couldn’t help but reach out, tremulously picking up the spoon and digging into the mound of golden rice.
She took a small spoonful, put it into her mouth, and lightly chewed.
Cicia suddenly froze.
It’s... really fragrant!
She had thought it would be raw, fishy, and greasy, but when she actually tasted it, it was dry and fragrant. Moreover, each grain of rice was coated with egg shreds, giving a satisfying chew.
There was no trace of the raw or fishy taste... Perhaps this body made her taste buds less sensitive? That didn’t seem so bad either.
Without the raw or fishy taste, Cicia began spooning one bite after another into her mouth, each chew became more flavorful, and a satisfied expression naturally crept across her face.
The taste somewhat resembled hot salty cheese poured over black barley. But compared to the cheese and black barley combination, this was more loose, neither too greasy nor too salty. Although she still preferred the relatively lighter cream of mushroom soup, the flavor of the scallion egg fried rice was definitely not inferior to the cream of mushroom soup.
The unique taste experience even surpassed that of the cream of mushroom soup.
"Is it okay?" Head Maid Mana saw Cicia’s expression and could tell she wasn’t opposed to the taste of egg fried rice.
"I was originally worried you couldn’t eat scallions, and was thinking about making another plate of egg fried rice without scallions. But since you can eat scallions, there’s no problem."
Cicia: "So this green vegetable is scallion; the taste is indeed a bit strange, but when eaten with the egg shreds, it’s very harmonious."
Head Maid Mana: "According to Mr. Jon, scallions can suppress the eggy smell, improving the taste."
"So it’s used to neutralize the eggy smell." Cicia realized, no wonder she didn’t taste any eggy smell.
Speaking during meals or making loud chewing noises was quite impolite in the etiquette of the Baiyuanians. And Cicia was a classic well-educated lady who had always followed these etiquettes.
But at this very moment, facing the kindly smiling Head Maid Mana, Cicia completely disregarded the Baiyuanian etiquette.
There are hardly any Baiyuanians left; holding on to these outdated rules as commandments is laughable too.
"Head Maid Mana, may I ask you a question?"
Mana nodded gladly, "Of course you can. Also, Miss Cicia, just call me Auntie, calling me Head Maid feels so formal."
"Alright." Cicia nodded with a smile, "I just wanted to ask, is this scallion egg fried rice a specialty here?"
Covering her mouth, Mana chuckled: "I used to be asked this question all the time in reality, didn’t expect to get asked in the Wilderness of Dreams as well."
"This is not a specialty of the Wilderness of Dreams, it’s food from Mr. Jon’s homeland. Speaking of which, I’m not the best at making egg fried rice, at most ranking third in the manor."
"The best is Mr. Jon, the second best is Young Master Pat..."
Cicia asked in surprise, "Angel can cook?"
Head Maid Mana: "Not the young master, the older master. The young master actually also learned to make egg fried rice, but somehow, it always resulted in strange tastes; sometimes it’s quite good, but other times it’s just so-so."
"Although the older master cherished the young master, knowing the young master loved egg fried rice made by Mr. Jon, the older master specifically learned to make scallion egg fried rice for him. The older master’s cooking skills were exceptional, often adding other ingredients for garnish, not only not spoiling the taste, but making it more fragrant and delicious, something I can’t manage."
Cicia had a moment of enlightenment, it seemed Angel had a brother, and they were quite close.
"Since Jon makes the best, why doesn’t Jon make it for Angel? Instead, it’s Angel’s brother who does it?"
"That’s because Mr. Jon..." Head Maid Mana had just started explaining when footsteps sounded from outside.
Soon, a voice came in from outside: "Because Mr. Jon’s hands are better suited for playing the piano or doing academic research. Using them to make egg fried rice would be too much of a waste."
"It’s the young master." Upon hearing the voice, Mana’s eyes lit up, looking toward the door.
Sure enough, shortly after, Angel walked in with strides.
Mana was delighted to see Angel, but Cicia frowned slightly, seemingly reminded of something, giving him a cold glance, instantly turning the previously harmonious atmosphere in the dining room stiff.
Unaware of the change, Mana heard Angel say: "Good day, Head Maid Mana."
"Good day." Mana responded smoothly.
"I have some matters to discuss with Miss Cicia, could I trouble Head Maid Mana to prepare a couple of teas for us?"